I Had Everything
by It's Always Okay to Cry
Summary: Shadow had everything with her younger brother, and she loved him more than anything. But then disaster struck, and Shadow will stop at nothing to get her revenge. Is this the best thing, or will she have regrets? This is a one-shot. Also, it's rated T for a VERY BIG REASON.


**Alright! So this was a challenge from the forum LightningClan, and it was a lot of fun to do. Just a warning, there will be blood, and a lot of it. If you don't want to see that, I don't blame you, and you can leave.**

 **For those who stayed, thanks! And I hope you like it. Also, just so you know, this: ,.,.,.,.,., means a slight timelapse.**

 **~Tigerflight**

"Hey, Shadow, wake up!"

Shadow blinked her eyes open to see her light tabby brother, his bright green eyes sparkling with excitement. "What is it, Leaf?"

Leaf bounced on his toes. "Ember wants us to go hunting with him! Come on!"

Shadow stood up and stretched. "You know I don't trust him. Why did you say yes?"

The younger tom tipped his head. "I think you need to learn that he's alright. Come on!" he said again. "Ember said we were going to raid a dumpster! He said his friends were going to help too."

Now Shadow wanted to go even less. But maybe Leaf was right, and after all, she and her younger brother needed to eat.

Shadow sighed. "Okay, lead me to Ember."

Shadow followed her younger littermate through the streets of Twolegplace to the back of a building. Ember, a big ginger tom, was on the top of the dark green dumpster. Two of his friends, a pale tom named Birch, and a black she-cat named Crow were also there, standing guard.

Birch stepped forward as Shadow and Leaf walked up to them. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Ember jumped down from the trash bin to stand between Birch and Crow. "It's alright, Birch." He smiled at the littermates. "These are my friends." There was something about the smile Ember gave them that made Shadow uneasy.

Birch gave Ember a nod and stepped back. Leaf grinned at Ember and rushed up to the green bin, leaping into it.

"Be careful, Leaf," Shadow warned.

Ember chuckled, sidling up to Shadow. "I'm sure he'll be fine." It was all Shadow could do not to stiffen up as Ember wrapped his tail around her. "You know, if you joined my group, I could provide protection for you and your brother." Shadow remained silent. "Provide food, shelter. Wouldn't you like that? For Leaf?"

Shadow looked away as she thought about it. When she and Leaf's mother had had died two years ago delivering Leaf, Shadow had vowed to do all she could to protect him. If they meant joining Ember's group, then that's what she would do.

"Alright," she murmured. "Leaf and I will join your group."

,.,.,.,.,.

It only took a few moons for Shadow to realize how bad it was to join Ember's group. The nice attitude and food must've been to get in their good graces. Ember, with Birch and Crow, were the ones distributing the food, and when they did, it was hardly enough to count as a serving. Shadow hated seeing Leaf so thin, but there was nothing she could do. The 'protection' Ember had promised was more like imprisonment. Birch and Crow wouldn't let anyone leave under any circumstance.

One night, Shadow awoke in her makeshift nest to shouting. She scrambled to her paws as she recognized Leaf and Ember's voices. She followed the noise to where Ember kept the food and was halted by Crow.

"You can't go in there," she growled. "Turn around."

"Who's out there, Crow?" came Ember's voice.

Crow didn't take her eyes off of Shadow. "It's Shadow," she called back.

"Let her in, but don't let her help. I want her to see this," Ember's voice instructed.

Crow obeyed. Shadow was led into the room but held back and forced to watch.

Leaf was crouched down before Ember; Shadow could count every single one of Leaf's ribs. "Please, Ember," Leaf whimpered. "Shadow and I are so hungry. I was only trying to get a little food, you wouldn't have missed it!"

Ember hesitated for a terribly long time before nodding. "Okay, you can pick out something. Be quick about it."

Shadow didn't think she had ever been more relieved in her entire life.

Leaf's eyes, the ones he had been named after, lit up. "Oh, thank you, Ember!"

Leaf rushed to the pile of scraps and picked out a chicken leg before scampering his way back to Shadow. He didn't get far. Ember leapt onto Leaf's back and the chicken leg went tumbling away.

"Who said I would let you keep it?" Ember whispered into Leaf's ear, just loud enough for Shadow to hear. "You broke the rules, Leaf, and you need to be taught a lesson." Leaf struggled against Ember pinning him to the ground, but the ginger tom was far stronger than him. "You need to be punished."

Before she could stop herself, Shadow shouted, "Ember, please! Leaf is all I have left. Please don't harm him!"

Ember ignored her. He extended his claws and brought them down to Leaf's neck. Then with one swift flick, he clawed out Leaf's throat.

Shadow struggled against Crow to no avail. "Leaf!" she cried.

Leaf's eyes widened and met his sisters' for the last time. "Sh… Shadow," he sputtered, spitting blood onto the already red-stained ground. The light faded from his eyes and he lay motionless on the pavement.

"I'll kill you!" Shadow screeched. "I shall kill every single one of you!"

Ember was as calm as he always was. "Birch," he mewed.

The next thing Shadow knew, a leaf was being slapped against her nose, and powder was filling her nostrils. Then, she knew nothing.

Shadow awoke to being prodded in the side. A yellow she-cat, who Shadow vaguely remembered being named Bell, was standing over her.

"Are you okay?" Bell questioned.

Shadow sat up. "Leaf! Where is he?"

"Me and a few others buried him yesterday. I brought you this." Bell nudged half a hot dog close to her.

Shadow turned her head away. "I'm not hungry."

Bell frowned. "You've been out for two days. You have to eat something."

"What about Ember?" Shadow countered. "Won't he punish you if he finds you giving me food?"

Bell shook her head. "Ember, Birch, and Crow left fight after they knocked you out. No cat knows where they've gone."

The desire for vengeance fuelled Shadow's hunger. She gobbled up the hot dog and faced Bell again. "Where did you bury him?"

Bell inclined her head toward a pile of rocks. "Over there."

Shadow padded over to the grave, dipping her head. "I'm sorry I failed you, Leaf," she mewed huskily. "But I promise by my own life that I will make them pay. They will die for killing you, I vow to you."

Shadow clenched her jaw and stalked back up to Bell. "Where did you see them last," she growled. "What direction did they go?"

Sad understanding filtered into Bell's eyes as she pointed out the direction. "Don't do something you regret, Shadow."

,.,.,.,.,.,

Shadow journeyed for a long time, always just behind the group she was tracking. The dark tortoiseshell barely stopped, only taking a break if she absolutely needed to, and not for very long when she did. She was moved only by her lust for revenge, her deep green eyes set in determination. She finally met a kittypet who pointed her out in the direction of the 'three skinny cats' and it was all Shadow could do not to grin maniacally. She finally had them, and it was their turn to be weak.

She found them, and just as the kittypet had said, they were terribly skinny, as though they knew she would be coming after them and they had barely rested themselves. As she waited in the darkness, thanking anything watching over her for her dark pelt, she learned that they were going to wait until the next morning to leave. This time, Shadow allowed herself the grin. She would finally take revenge on the merciless cats who had taken her brother from her.

Shadow waited until they had fallen asleep before stalking quietly to Ember and pinning him down, hearing him wake up with a start. "Do you remember," she whispered into the ginger tom's ear, "when you were pinning my brother to the ground? Just. Like. This?" She dragged out her words on purpose, loving the fear scent coming from the tom. "Do you remember what you did to him?" she asked slowly. "When you raised your paw and clawed out his neck in front of me? Just. Like. This?"

"Shadow, no, plea – achachach…." Ember attempted to beg, but Shadow ignored him, just as he had done for her, showing no mercy and relieving him of his throat.

When Ember went limp, Shadow turned her sights on Birch and Crow, the first of which was groggily trying to open his eyes.

"Ember?" he croaked. "What's – Shadow. No, please! I had nothing to do with –"

Shadow didn't let him finish, slashing at his nose first. "This is for knocking me out," she murmured as Birch cried out in pain. She placed her claws at the top of Birch's throat, digging them in and dragging them to the base of his tail. "And this for making my body immobile." Birch's shriek didn't last long.

It woke Crow up, however. She backed up, trying to scramble away, but her paws were still not working having just woken up. She, too, tried to beg. "Shadow… please…" she whimpered.

Shadow curled her lip in disgust. "You're so pathetic." She padded slowly up to Crow as the black she-cat backed herself against a large boulder. Shadow smirked and raised her blood-encrusted paw, claws extended. "This is for making me watch." She rose up on her hind legs and brought her paws down with force onto Crow's eyes, yanking down.

Crow screamed in agony. "My eyes, my eyes!" She slithered to the ground. "Please, just kill me now."

Shadow chuckled darkly. "Why should I do that? You left me to die when Birch drugged me, so why shouldn't I do the same to you? Enjoy the rest of your worthless life, Crow."

Shadow turned and walked away, ignoring Crow's cries of pain and anger. Those three deserved everything she had done to them. They had taken everything from her, so she had taken everything from them.


End file.
